ROLYN 


WELLS 


ftv 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


CAR  OLYN     WELLS 


WITH    ILLUSTRATIONS    BY 

MAY    WILSON    PRESTON 


HARPER    &    BROTHERS     PUBLISHERS 

NEW   YORK   AND   LONDON    ::    MCMIX 


Copyright,  1909,  by  HARPER  &  BROTHERS. 


All  rights  reserved. 

Published  April,  1909. 

Printed  in  the  United  States  of  America. 


The  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


665898 


The  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


Now  the  new  Rubber  rousing 
[new  Desires, 

The  Thoughtful  Soul  to  Doub= 

[ling  Hearts  aspires. 

—When    the    Red    Hand    of 

[Dummy  is  laid  down, 

And  even  Hope  of  the  Odd 

[Trick  expires ! 


1-r-*%~**s*£^S-<*-?~  £ 


TJie  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


Ah,  make    the   Most  of  what 

[We  yet  may  Take, 

Before  we  lose  the  Lead,  and 

[let  Them  make 

=Trick    after   Trick!      While 

[we  throw  down  High  Cards, 

Sans    Lead,    sans    Score,    sans 

[Honor,  and  sans  Stake ! 


The  Rulaiyat   of  BRIDGE 


A  Book  of  Bridge  Rules  un= 

[derneath  the  Bough, 

A  Score  Card,  Two  new  Packs 

[of  Cards,  and  Thou 

^With  Two  Good  Players  sit- 

[ting  opposite, 

Oh,  Wilderness  were  Paradise 

[enow ! 


';  V5  fe?^&^' 


,  H  *«n-    V7E&  sS^*\ 

'"'^-'W^    ^  P^^A 

,c'V/v      f,  //    ^  ^Mf   /  'M-^>  U 


o^ 


The  Rulaiydt  of  BRIDGE 


The  Card  no  Question  makes 

[of  ayes  or  noes, 

But  High  or  Low,  as  suits  the 

[Player  shows ; 

=But    he   who   Stands   Beside 

[you,  Looking  On, — 

He  knows  about  it    all !     He 

[Knows!!     He  Knows!!! 


VhM' 


Yho-^03^^  (3>Ol-^GVv. 


Of. 


The  Rulajydt  of  BRIDGE 


I  sometimes  think  there's  never 
[such  Tirade 

As  where  some  Bridge  Game 

[has  been  badly  Played. 

=When  Some  One  thinks  you 

[should  have  made  no  Trump, 

And  you  have  thriftily  declared 

[a  Spade! 


The  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


Myself,  when  Young,  did   ea= 
[gerly  Frequent 

Bridge  Tournaments,  and  heard 

[Great  Argument 

—About  this  Point  and  That. 

[Yet,  after  all, 

Came    out    no    Better    Player 
[than  I  went. 


The  Rulaiyat    of  BRIDGE 

For   I   remember    stopping   by 

[the  Way 

To     watch    Four     Celebrated 

[Champions  play. 

—They  Differed   on   the  Dis= 

[card,  Make,  and  Lead. 

Whatever    One    Said,  —  Said 

[The  Others,  "  Nay  !" 

The  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


Why,  if   a    Soul   can  fling  the 
[Rules  aside, 

And  let  his  Card=Sense  be  his 
[Only  Guide, 

=Were't  not  a  Shame,  were't 

[not  a  Shame  for  him 

By   Street    and   Elwell    tamely 

[to  abide? 


The  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


And  if   the    Card    you  hope= 
[fully  Finesse 

Capture  the  Trick, — your  Part= 

[ner  Smiles  !     Oh  yes  ! 

"And  you  smile  Broadly!  But, 

[if  it  be  Caught 

By    the    Fourth    Hand, — your 

[Smiles  are  somewhat  Less ! 


TJie  Rulaiydt  of  BRIDGE 


But   if   in  Vain  down  on  the 

[Stubborn  Score 

You    gaze;    and    make    it    No 

[Trumps,  just  once  more, — 

=With  Strength  in  Every  Suit, 

[but  with  No  Ace, — 

How     then,  —  when     Dummy 

[calmly  Lays  down  Four! 


The  Rubaiyat    of  BRIDGE 


To  Them  the  Heart  Convention 
[did  I  show, 

And  with    Mine  Own   Hand 

[tried  to  make  it  go. 

=But  this  is  all  the  Wisdom 

[that  I  reaped, — 

'With  more  than  Three  Hearts, 

[always  lead  the  Low!" 


The  Ruldiydt  of  BRIDGE 


For,  Trump    or    No  =  Trump, 

[though  with  all  the  Rules, 

Of    different    Masters    and    of 

[different  Schools, 

=I've  played  with   Players  of 

[all  Sorts,— but  I 

Have  never  beaten  anything,— 

[but  Fools ! 


The  Rulaiydt  of  BRIDGE 


Indeed,  indeed — to  Quit  It  oft 

[Before 

I   swore, — but   did   I   mean  it 

[when  I  swore? 

—And   then, — and   then   came 

[Three,  and,  Cards  in  Hand, 

I  Joined  them,  and  they  made 

[me  keep  the  Score ! 


-    ^W^S'  ^\\      •^^'i   -f^  /,   r^-S<~     \ 


S^r    58-^. 

f!T7  ^>^n 

'/ -tiJiii^i^cH  ty*^  01. 


The  Rulaiyat    of  BRIDGE 


Alas,  how    Subtle    Bridge    al= 
[luring  Woos ! 

And  robs  me  of  my  Nightly 

[Beauty=Snooze. 

=1  often  Wonder  what  Bridge 

[Players  gain 

One = half   so    Precious   as   the 
[Sleep  they  Lose. 


B^fiaasZSl/i?*^ 

if 


The  Rulaiydt  of  BRIDGE 


Oh,    Threats     of     Loss,    and 

[Hopes  of  Golden  Store, 

One   thing   in   Bridge   is  Cer= 

[tain, — 'tis  not  Lore  ! 

=One    thing    is    Certain,  and 

[the  Rest  is  Chance: 

The     Hand     that     holds     the 

[Cards  will  win  the  Score ! 


The  Rubaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


Some   for  the  Gain  of  Penny 

[Points,  and  Some 

Sigh  for  the  Lovely  Prizes  yet 

[to  come. 

—Oh,  take   the   Prize   and  let 

[the  Pennies  go, 

Nor   heed    the    winning    of    a 

[Paltry  Sum. 


The  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


When   You    and    I    our    Last 

[Bridge  Game  have  played, 

The    Games  will    go   right   on 

[by  Those  who've  Stayed, 

=Who    of    Our    Coming   and 

[Departure  heed 

As  the  Heart  Ace  should  heed 

[a  little  Spade. 


TJie  Rulaiyat  of  BRIDGE 


We  are  no  other  than  a  Mov= 

[ing  Row 

Of  Magic  Dummy  Hands  that 

[Come  and  Go. 

~Played   to   the    Last   Trump 

[by  the  Hand  of  Fate, 

By     whom     our     Hearts     are 

[Shuffled  To  and  Fro. 

V 


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